Order of the Broken Wing
The Order of the Broken Wing was an order of knights that was formed during the Second War with the Krontiz Empire in 350LN. It has gone through three incarnations since its first founding, with the order currently at its lowest numbers ever. History of the Order The Rallying "I may never rule, but this stag still has wings." -'' attributed to the Black Stag, the founder of the Order The Second War with the Krontiz Empire led to a mustering of knights from across the Realm of Novdahain, one such group named itself as the Broken Wing, said to have been led by the bastard son of one of Novdahain's previous rulers. Taking the wings of the stag that adorns the seal of Novdahain, the Order swore oaths of loyalty to Novdahain, upholding beliefs in the right to the sovereignty of the Serene City. The Order participated in the conflict with the orcs, earning no small amount of glory, though rumours persist that the Order was always side lined for those more closely associated with the crown. The Sack of Novdahain By 660LN the Order had changed completely, from one that was devoted to the preservation of Novdahain to a fraternity of knights devoted to their own political ambitions and honour. When the Krontiz Empire once again threatened the peace of the Realm, the Order gathered in their lodge to declared their intent to strike out against the orc menace. Launching a counter attack upon the advancing orc formations, expecting the barbarians to break, finding instead the orcs well prepared, easily blunting the charge and shooting down many of the knights with well trained archers, the survivors limping back to the Serene City in disgrace. Some honour was restored by the arrival of reinforcements that drove away the orcs, but not before the city had been heavily damaged. As the Order had acted independently, very few people knew or cared about their failed attack on the advancing army, and the now diminished order fell into obscurity. The Value of a Coin With the Order's numbers so few, the remaining members turned to keeping themselves a working order, changing their oaths to become more focused on earning enough gold to survive. Many knights became no better than mercenaries, though the most valiant of its members stayed true to their oaths even when the reward was a meager one. When the Realm was threatened once more, the Order took part in the Siege of Sudniv, against the forces of the primordial entities. It was this that nearly broke the Order, with its numbers dwindling to only a few active knights, one of which Alexei Czarn being a squire elevated to knighthood in the very battle itself. Oaths of the Order ''"Defend your charge. Do whatever you agreed to do. And most importantly: GET PAID!" ''- Sir Krillik of the Broken Wing The current incarnation of the Broken Wing dedicates itself to performing tasks on behalf of others, usually manifesting in escorting and protection. This usually manifests as some form of contract, usually issued in paper form for the Order to see how much gold the knight is getting and therefore how much they should also receive. Sometimes the contract might be as simple as a verbal agreement, an oath to protect a charge or deliver a package to some predetermined place. The more morally dubious of the Order might do their best to subvert their contract, slipping in loopholes so they might avoid any particular degree of danger or risk to themselves. Known members Baron Brennic The Grandmaster of the Order, by virtue of noble rank rather than by merit, though few else desired to take on the mantle, Baron Brennic spends most of his time in the Serene City with his highborn mistress. An older man in his late fifties, the Baron has not kept up his duties as a knight, instead seeing the Order as another addition to his title rather than an actual commitment to his oaths. He does however offer the services of his knights to his friends at court, though few take him up on the offer. His heraldry is a raptor bird with its talons open, descending upon some prey. Sir Zawin The former master of Alexei Czarn, Sir Zawin of the Black, was an elderly knight that led the Broken Wing forces in the Siege of Sudniv. A well respected knight, Zawin was often asked why he stayed with such a failing order when he would have been welcome in any of the more prominent orders that existed in Novdahain, to which he replied; ''"Another order might take me in, but no others would let me fly.", ''what he meant by this nobody was quite sure, chalking it up to the knight being a bit eccentric. Sir Zawin died in the Siege of Sudniv, elevating his squire to the rank of Knight as he lay dying in the sand. His heraldry was a pair of black wings. Sir Mortin One of the Order's oldest members, Sir Mortin was a well respected knight that devoted himself to the protection of a small convent of Ovati. When the convent's members decided to break up as membership dwindled and schisms formed due to interpretation of the Silence of the Gods, Sir Mortin, already in his fifties was driven to drink, becoming concerned with only earning enough money to buy ale. He was famous for his hatchet that he used to cut wood for the convent as well as a weapon against those that would try and steal the relics held there. Sir Mortin dwells in the Order Lodge, spending much of his time either asleep or drinking. His heraldry is a skull upon a bed of roses. Sir Dargl The youngest member of the Order, Sir Dargl was made a Knight following the Siege of Sudniv. Tragically, Dargl was kicked in the head by a horse soon after becoming a Knight, and while he survived his memory suffered and he was unable to recall conversations becoming easily confused. While he still seems able to defend himself in battle, if by muscle memory alone rather than any actual recollection of training, Dargl is seldom unaccompanied by another member of the Order, usually Sir Krillik. Sir Dargl's heraldry is a simple blade crossed with a bow. Sir Krillik Once a well respected knight, Sir Krillik was disgraced by scandal after he was discovered to have been stealing parts of the money he was meant to be carrying to churches in the lands surrounding the Serene City. Even though the money was returned once he was caught, his reputation never recovered. A man in his thirties, Krillik's hair is only just greying and is still able to fight though he would rarely swear oaths or take contracts, instead taking on mercenary work, usually with Sir Dargl by his side. His heraldry is a bear on a green field. Lady Coil The only woman remaining in the order, Lady Coil is a tiefling descendant of the exiles of Orjer, bearing various marks of her infernal bloodline across her face. Coil is a well traveled knight, joining the Order before the Siege of Sudniv after leaving her previous order following the death of her husband, whom she is rumoured to have poisoned. She possesses a limited amount of magical ability thanks to her bloodline, allowing her to perform simple cantrips such as [[boil|''boil]] and darkness. She considers herself retired from questing, preferring to live a quiet life in the Order's Lodge. Lady Coil's heraldry is a snake wrapped around a chalice. Sir Alexei Czarn For more information on this character, see here. Alexei Czarn, or by his more commonly used name Sir Alek of Many-Shields, is the Order's most active member, taking on a great deal of contracts in order to maintain the upkeep on the Order's Lodge and older members. He was made a knight during the Siege of Sudniv when his master died, granting him the rank as he died in the sands of the battlefield. Alexei has little of his own equipment, having to borrow his equipment from the older knights, earning him the nickname Many-Shields as often he would be seen with spare shields with the heraldry of others. The most valuable things he owns is his mismatched armour and his horse Hurricane, a purebred stallion that its previous owner won in a game of card, though in payback the knight was killed by those that felt they had been cheated by him. Alexei has not yet taken any heraldry for himself, instead carrying the arms of another member of his order. Order Lodge The Order's Lodge, known as the Stag's Den, is a large building located on an peninsula in Lake Imandra less than a hundred yards from the mainland, connected by a ferry that operates in the summer causes ice to melt in the north, swelling the lake slightly turning the land into an island. The structure was built to house up to a hundred knights, though the Order has not reached such numbers since its founding. The building is a large grey stone building with its many chimneys fashioned into antlers that reach out into the sky. Category:Organisations Category:Farthrone Category:Novdahain